Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

‘Very poorly equipped’: UK facing dire scarcity of ventilators as Covid-19 cases increase, says largest manufacturer

‘Very poorly equipped’: UK facing dire scarcity of ventilators as Covid-19 cases increase, says largest manufacturer

The UK’s National Health Service is facing a “massive shortage” of ventilators needed to treat severe coronavirus cases and will “pay the price” for failing to invest ahead of time, according to the CEO of a Swiss manufacturer.
The British government’s failure to invest properly in intensive care equipment will come back to haunt it, Andreas Wieland, CEO of Hamilton Medical, told Reuters on Wednesday. “They invested very little, and I think now they will pay the price.” He added that the full force of the epidemic has not truly hit the UK, which had 2,600 confirmed cases and 100 deaths at the time of the interview, and the worst is yet to come.

“England is very poorly equipped… They’re going to have a massive shortage, once the virus really arrives there.”

Hamilton claims to be the world’s largest manufacturer of the devices, which are needed to help severe coronavirus cases and other patients with respiratory difficulties to breathe. However, even after kicking up production by 30 to 40 percent in an effort to keep up with the raging pandemic, the company can still only produce about 80 ventilators every day. The machines sell for about £15,400 (€16,383), according to the Financial Times.

Weiland said that while he had been in “close contact” with UK medical authorities, the much worse situation in Italy was currently eating up his resources. Nearly 3,000 people have died of coronavirus in the country as of Wednesday, and more than 35,000 have been diagnosed with the disease. He warned that a similar-scale outbreak would utterly overwhelm the British system.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged British manufacturers to consider repurposing their factories toward making more ventilators, noting that the country had a mere 5,000 but needed “many times” that. To free up resources, he said the NHS would be postponing non-urgent surgeries, drafting recently-retired doctors, and sending doctors working in non-hospital roles back to serving patients. However, critics of the plan, including Doctors’ Association UK chair Dr. Rinesh Parmar, pointed out that the NHS has nearly 43,000 nurse and 10,000 doctor vacancies. “It’s pointless acquiring new ventilators without enough highly-trained staff to operate them,” Parmar told the Guardian.

Successive governments have chipped away at the UK’s state-run NHS system, leaving it dangerously underfunded in what some high-ranking members of the British Medical Association have claimed in recent years is a deliberate effort to force it to fail so that it can be profitably privatized.

Until (and unless) that happens, however, the US remains the sole major Western country that does not provide its citizens free healthcare. The US is also facing massive medical supply shortages, from ventilators to masks to a staggering array of drugs that are made overseas – many in China, where production has not yet recovered from the devastating coronavirus outbreak.

According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the US only has about 21 percent of the 960,000 ventilators it will likely need at the peak of a coronavirus outbreak in the country, and while hospitals are scurrying to rent more as manufacturers focus their energies on churning out extra machines, time is running out. Adding to the disaster-in-waiting, like the UK, the US is sorely lacking in qualified respiratory therapists, specialist nurses, and doctors with the proper skills to hook a patient up to a ventilator.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×